Unsweetened Dreams
by 2takuya
Summary: Fate returns home early one morning, only to find Nanoha just as she collapses with a fever! What dark secret has Nanoha been hiding after all these years? "I'd been waiting to hear those words; I just hadn't realized it before. Now the only question was would Fate still be willing to stay with me after she learned the truth? It's like they say, Ignorance is Bliss."
1. Chapter 1

Hey you guys, 2takuya back with another story. This ones only my second story, so corrections and criticism is recommended, just no flaming please! Um, yeah. First story is not finished, and I know I haven't updated in a while . . . but I am working on it, I promise. This story is written to help with my current case of writers block. Hoping that it helps a great deal!

Anyways yeah, hope you enjoy the story. And I want to thank Satashi, cause it's some of you're stories that inspired this idea! Ehehe, yeah, just thought I'd let you know.

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I let out a quiet moan, my eyes fluttering open before squeezing shut again. I wasn't expecting my room to be so bright. Letting out a quiet sigh I opened my eyes once again, ignoring the pain in my head and allowing my eyes to adjust. With a sigh I managed to force myself out of bed, staggering over to my dresser as I felt the world around me spin. Somehow I managed to get the top half of my uniform on before the world spun even more and my feet slipped out from beneath me.

**Unsweetened Dreams**

**By:**

**2takuya**

Fate had just slipped into the house, slightly wet from the rain outside. She knew it was early in the morning, so she wasn't expecting anyone to be up just yet. _I'll just slip into bed with Nanoha so I don't wake her up._ The girl thought on her way up the stairs.

The sight that met her surprised the blonde haired girl, to say the least. Although what shocked her more was when the brunette standing at the dresser suddenly collapsed.

"Nanoha!" Fate cried out, racing forward and catching her friend before she kissed the floor.

Nanoha looked up at Fate in surprise. She hadn't heard the blonde haired enforcer get back. "F – Fate . . ." she croaked out, wincing at how raw her throat felt.

Fate watched her friend, worry obvious on her face. Her friend's throat had sounded so dry and scratchy. She was about to ask about it when a strong smell hit her nostrils.

Glancing around Fate frowned slightly. "Nanoha, did you throw up in bed?" The blonde finally asked, turning back to the brunette cradled carefully in her arms.

A few moments passed of almost complete silence, save for Nanoha's heavy breathing. Fate was beginning to worry because her friend hadn't responded when she realized that Nanoha must have fallen asleep.

With a quiet sigh Fate slowly lifted the brunette off the ground, carrying her bridal style over to the bed, where it was indeed confirmed that Nanoha had gotten sick sometime during the night. Tossing the blankets on the bed over the spot Fate slowly set the brunette down before turning back to the dresser. Nanoha had managed to get a shirt on, more or less. Now all that was left was some pants before taking her to Shamal's office.

"We should get you to Shamal." Fate said quietly in her friend's ear after having successfully finished clothing Nanoha and picking her back up. They had already made it out of the house by the time the smaller girl seemed to realize what had been said.

Nanoha appeared to have given a weak equivalent to a grimace and was weakly struggling to push away from Fate. "No," she mumbled quietly, though she still seemed to be sleeping. "Doctor . . . bad."

Fate let out a sigh, she knew Nanoha was against visiting the doctor, the girl always had been. She would only go when someone made her. "Nanoha," she said softly as she carried the girl through the doors of the building. "The doctors not bad, or scary. She'll just want to help make you feel better."

Whatever Fate had said seemed to be the wrong thing, however, because now Nanoha was squirming in her grip and pushing against the arms that were holding her. Nanoha wasn't able to struggle much longer though as she heard a door open and a new voice call out.

"Oh, good morning Fate. A bit earl- oh dear, what's the matter with Nanoha?" The brunette heard someone ask. Somehow she managed to peel her eyelids back and discovered the voice belonged to Shamal. The realization of who the doctor would be made Nanoha relax a bit.

Nanoha's sudden relaxation didn't seem to go unnoticed by Fate and Shamal, who shared a look of confusion with each other. Fate shrugged in response to Shamal's questioning look, she knew the most about Nanoha, but even that had confused her.

Fate then succeeded in laying Nanoha down on one of the beds on the clinic before pulling a blanket over the brunette, who responded with fluttering eyelids before drifting to sleep again.

"Well, what's Nanoha gotten this time?" An amused Shamal asked, drawing Fate out of her observations of said girl.

Fate shook her head, worry showing in her eyes as she watched Shamal begin to take Nanoha's temperature. "I don't know, when I got home she was putting on a shirt and then she suddenly collapsed." The blonde explained, glancing over at the older woman. "And her voice was raspy, and when I moved her over to the bed I realized she'd thrown up at some point."

Shamal looked worried as well, stealing a glance at Fate before checking the thermometer.

"101," Shamal mumbled quietly, a frown forming on her face. "That's not good. Fate, I'll have to ask that Nanoha remain here for the day. Her fevers too high to be moving her around and I want her where I can see her."

Fate nodded in understanding, Shamal didn't want Nanoha to be wandering around, which was sure to happen if they let her go back home. With a quiet sigh Fate leaned in to whisper softly into the brunette's ear. "Nanoha, I'm going to take care of things today. So be good and stay with Shamal, 'kay?"

But Nanoha didn't seem pleased with the proposal, as she weakly grimaced again, shifting in the bed and weakly grabbing hold of Fate's sleeve.

"No . . . " she mumbled, much to both Shamal and Fate's dismay. "Doctor . . . bad. Scary man."

Fate glanced at Shamal. "That's more or less what she said when I told her I was bringing her here to see you." She explained, hoping that she wouldn't offend her friend.

Shamal only smiled a little before replying. "Well, I knew she didn't like to visit me during work. I didn't think it was this bad, though." She said with a slight laugh. "Though I must admit, being called a man, scary or not, is a tad bit offending."

Fate was about to reply to Shamal's half attempted joke when Nanoha spoke again, shocking them both speechless.

"Doctor . . . bad man." Nanoha mumbled, struggling under the sheets that were now tangled around her. Her grip on Fate's sleeved tightened, if only a fraction. "No . . . don't leave." Fate and Shamal shared a worried glance, both wanting to help, neither knowing how. "Stop . . . hurts me. Don't like . . . " The brunette's breathing was coming out in gasps now, her face pale save for her cheeks which had a slight pink tint. "Help . . . mama. It hurts." She whimpered quietly before the dream seemed to die down, Nanoha's grip on Fate's sleeve loosening until her hand fell back to the bed.

Though it was now obvious to both Fate and Shamal that something happened. It seemed that there was more to Nanoha's fear of doctors than either one had believed.

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**Please make sure you hit the review button below! I'd love to get some feedback!**


	2. Chapter 2

Yo, everyone doing good? Thought I'd update, since I haven't in a while. Took me a while to revise the chapter, seeing as how I completely changed the ending of the chapter. But I wanted some fluff, cause normally I avoid that. So I added some fluff, though I'm not sure if it's any good.

So yeah, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Oh, and I think I forgot this last chapter

**Disclaimer: 2takuya does not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha. If 2takuya did, there would've been so many more Nanoha and Fate scenes, and most of them would have been there interactions from when the were younger. And there would've been a lot more parties in StrikerS, with the entire Riot Force 6 going out to drink. And I probably would've added a lot more Vivio and Fate and Nanoha scenes, because Vivio is amazing. But I still prefer Fate and Nanoha.**

Whoops, I rambled. Okay, yeah, sorry bout that. You probably didn't read this anyways! ;)

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A small frown graced my face as I watched the girl sleeping on the bed inside the clinic. She had just finished having a nightmare and was now slowly relaxing into a deeper slumber. The words that she had mumbled, however, nearly froze my heart in shock and most definitely left me speechless. Shamal must have been having similar troubles, because it took her a few heartbeats in silence before she found the strength to speak again.

**Unsweetened Dreams II**

**By:**

**2takuya**

"You heard that, right?" Shamal asked, shooting a look at the blonde enforcer standing next to her.

Fate nodded her head slightly, both confusion and worry evident on her face as she watched the brunette laying in the bed.

"Do you have any idea what it was about?" The blonde doctor asked, her attention turned to Nanoha as well.

Fate shook her head this time. She had no idea what could have cause her friend to say those words.

"It was probably just a dream." Fate said, struggling to brush off what had been said.

Shamal shook her head in reply, looking back to Fate. "I'm afraid that behavior and sickness combined indicates that the dream she just had was a memory. The problem is knowing what was in the dream."

Fate arched an eyebrow at Shamal, doubt written plainly across her features. "Shamal, she's sick. Normally in cases where a person is sick they have halucitory dreams." Fate said, raising a hand to silence the doctor as she opened her mouth to speak. "I realize you have more experience when it comes to treating a patient, but I'll admit I've had plenty of strange dreams when I was sick. None of which were true."

Shamal nodded in recognition from Fate's words, a small frown on her lips. "Though her words and panic make me consider her dream to be real." She said, voice soft.

Fate was opening her mouth, a quick retort on the tip of her tongue, when another voice sounded instead.

"Fate-chan? Where am I?" The voice questioned, blue eyes peering over to her blonde friend.

Nanoha's gaze was instantly met by soft read eyes. They were eyes that often times made the young woman relax, her worries instantly disappearing whenever she saw them.

This time, however, that calmness didn't last long. Fate's voice quickly broke the young woman out of her thoughts. "At the doctors, you got sick last night."

Shamal had been watching for Nanoha's reaction, and even Fate couldn't deny the reaction the girl gave.

In response to Fate's words, Nanoha immediately froze up. Her eyes flashed with an immeasurable amount of fear. And her breathing slowly became ragged.

This was all lost on Nanoha however, as the events from her dream plagued her mind with a vengeance, the word 'doctor' repeating itself over and over again in her mind, taunting her more and more.

Shamal, despite being one quick to tease, couldn't stand to see Nanoha acting like this, not even for a moment. She could tell something was bothering the young girl, even if she didn't know what, and that panic scared her more than she understood.

"Nanoha, are you alright?" Shamal asked in a quiet voice, standing at Nanoha's bedside opposite of Fate.

Nanoha flinched at the words spoken to her. '_Nanoha, are you alright, sweetie?'_ A deep voice asked, worry just barely covering the lecherous tone in his voice.

Glazed eyes stared at shaking hands as Nanoha slowly and painfully forced the memory from her mind. After what seemed like years Nanoha blinked, feeling hands rubbing her back and comforting nothings being whispered into her ear.

It took her a moment longer to realize who was holding her, realizing at the same moment that she was tense as a plank of wood.

Fate had panicked, seeing Nanoha so scared, the girl didn't even seem to realize where she was any more, her eyes glazed over as she shook like an autumn leaf. In only seconds Fate had pulled her friend into her arms and began rubbing her back, trying to calm the girl down. The girl responded by stiffening, and Fate decided to try whispering into her friends ear. That always worked in the movies, shouldn't it work now?

And so, not long later, Nanoha was slowly relaxing into Fate's arms as the blonde slowly rubbed her friends back, whispering pointless but loving words into her friends ear.

"F-fate?" Nanoha whispered hoarsely, sounding broken and scared. Shamal had left moments before, as soon as Fate had scooped Nanoha into her arms, deciding to leave the two in peace.

Fate nodded, worry filling her eyes, though she didn't release Nanoha from her grip. "Nanoha dear, is something the matter?" Fate asked quietly, whispering into her friends ear. She was afraid if she let her go, Nanoha would succumb to the panic attack that had captured her earlier.

Nanoha remained silent for a few heartbeats. Fate became worried again, but soon she felt a damp warmth on her shoulder. It didn't take her long to figure out that Nanoha was crying, and silently at that. The brunette probably hadn't wanted to worry Fate, and so didn't want her friend to realize she was crying.

Though where she got the idea that crying into the shoulder of said person would keep that a secret, Fate had no idea. Though she decided that she best keep that thought to herself.

Instead she began rubbing Nanoha's back again, rocking lightly while Nanoha sat in her lap. It didn't take long for Nanoha to fall asleep, as the girl was already sick, the panic attack and crying only making her increasingly tired.

Moments after Nanoha had fallen asleep, Shamal had wandered back out and over to the bed, breathing a sigh of relief at the sight of the sleeping girl.

"Fate, you will try to figure this out, right?" Shamal asked quietly, worry still etched into her features. "Someone needs to figure out what the dream had been about, and you're the best person for that."

Fate nodded, understanding that the words Shamal spoke were true. Besides, whatever could cause Nanoha to panic that much, Fate wanted to know what it was. Then again, Fate wanted to know everything about Nanoha, and she thought she did. But the events just now had proven that she didn't. There was still one secret that Takamachi Nanoha had, and Testarossa Fate was determined to uncover it.

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**Thanks to those that read! This looks cool when it's bold. Ha-ha, I said bold, then totally had a flashback to Zettai Karen Children. Good anime there, manga's still ongoing, I should probably catch up on it, I skipped the last couple chapters.**

**Anyways, read and review, other I send Momotaro to sick you, and he goes crazy when he wants his sunflower seeds.**


	3. Chapter 3

Ok, please keep in mind this was written at 12, in the morning. So I don't get my most sanest ideas at this ungodly hour. But heres chapter three. Please make sure to review, keep your complaints to non-flaming please. But I would like to hear advice you might have to make things better.

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I wonder what happened. I remember panicking, and I know I had that scary dream again. But for some reason, the thought of that doesn't bother me at the moment. In fact, I feel sort of warm and light-hearted right now. At some point in time I must have fallen asleep. Because I know for a fact that a few moments ago I was not laying in a cloud of cotton and having a picnic with a bunch of Lima Beans with Spanish accents.

**Unsweetened Dreams III**

**By:**

**2takuya**

Nanoha glanced around her dream world in confusion. Normally she wasn't aware she was dreaming until she woke up. But she clearly remembered what had just occurred inside the Medical Ward only a few moments before. It also helped that she knew Lima Beans not only _didn't _speak, she was pretty sure if they did it wouldn't be in a Spanish accent.

She always figured it'd be more Italian, or maybe French.

But these weren't the thoughts that currently filled her head. They were thoughts she'd already had, both in past years and past minutes. Now she was wondering why she couldn't wake up. She really wanted to see Fate-chan, who she knew had done her best to calm her down. But no matter how hard Nanoha struggled, she couldn't find herself to waking up.

And during these fruitless attempts, she felt everything becoming increasingly warmer. To the point where she was uncomfortably hot. The laughter of the Lima Beans didn't seem to be helping too much. They had just suddenly begun laughing at her, and the more they laughed the more taunting it seemed.

Slowly Nanoha's dream changed. Her skin felt like it was on fire, she was covered in sweat _and there was a body pressed up against her, she could feel their bare skin_ and her breath seemed hitched in her throat _he wouldn't let her breath, his hand placed firmly over her mouth. _

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It was slowly coming back to haunt her, creeping up on her even in her nicest of dreams. But that's how it always came, without warning, shattering the little hopes that the girl had managed to build up.

Nanoha froze in surprise, her mind had been in a turmoil, one that even she couldn't begin to understand. But one thing she did understand was that she felt a hand stroking her hair. '_You'll be just fine. I won't hurt you, I promise. In fact, soon you won't even feel a thing'_ _a deep voice sounded, humor and bliss in the persons voice. 'Doctor just needs to make sure Nanoha-san gets the right amount of care. You understand, right? It's to make you feel better.'_ The hand continued stroking her hair, and soon she found herself struggling to push the hand away, tears slipping free from her eyes again.

"No . . . " She whimpered, her voice soft and sounding almost child-like. "Please don't. Mama said not to. She said it's bad." Her voice grew quieter. She seemed to be growing increasingly desperate and embarrassed. "Don't touch me."

"Nanoha." Said girl froze in fear, squeezing her eyes shut tightly, too afraid to witness what she knew would come next. "Nanoha, breathe, please." A gentle voice demanded, desperation laced in the words. "Calm down, it's okay. The scary doctor's not here right now."

Nanoha felt herself slowly relaxing. She knew that voice, she finally placed it as her friend Fate's. Of course, she had just been dreaming. She even knew she had been, so why was she so afraid? She knew the man couldn't hurt her now. If he got anywhere near her he'd be dead in seconds anyways.

Fate heaved a sigh of relief. Shamal had just finished talking when Nanoha had suddenly tensed up again. At first she thought the brunette had just woken up, and had heard that her two friends knew something was up. But then Fate heard it, or more accurately, _didn't _hear it. She could no longer hear Nanoha's quiet but steady breathing that had been brushing past her ear moments before.

Instead it seemed the girl had stopped breathing momentarily, her body shaking with a force Fate couldn't name. Fate continued stroking Nanoha's hair, as she had been doing since the girl had fallen asleep. And then the brunette started speaking, her voice hardly even a whisper. And the words that she spoke broke Fate's heart all over again. She was begging someone to stop, saying how her Mother had told her she wasn't supposed to do certain things. At first Fate was confused as to what Nanoha meant, but then the brunette whimpered out three simple words. But they were three words that made both Fate and Shamal, who had been quietly but worriedly standing aside, almost instantly understand what had Nanoha so panicked. 'Don't touch me.'

"Nanoha." Fate spoke softly, continuing to stroke her friends hair. Said friend had finally begun breathing again, though it was in short and rapid gasps. "Nanoha, breathe, please." She whispered, concern filling her words, trying to console her friend. "Calm down, it's okay." A short pause, pregnant. Fate was recalling all the words that had been spoken before, she knew someone had scared Nanoha, she didn't know when and she wasn't completely sure how. She figured the man probably raped her, but that didn't who the man had been. Though with the way the girl behaved, she probably had a guess as to how Nanoha and the man had met. "The scary doctor's not here right now."

And with those words Fate felt the brunette in her arms slowly begun to relax, all the tension in her muscles fading as she slumped heavily against Fate.

Shamal and Fate both breathed a sigh of relief. Fate glanced over at Shamal and could tell based on the look on her face that she had figured things out as well. The main problem would be getting Nanoha to admit what had happened. Fate had a feeling that what they were assuming wasn't the entire story.

Blue eyes sadly glanced up, watching the look on both of her friends faces. _Looks like things really were said out loud._ The brunette thought mildly, afraid of how her friends would proceed. It's not like the girl wanted to keep things a secret for so long. It's just, the longer she stayed quiet about things, the harder it became to say something.

And it's not like she hadn't tried before, after all, the man had been caught. With a scar like that, it'd be hard not to realize some of what had happened. But it had been a month after the event, when Nanoha finally hadn't been able to stand the pain, and had collapsed in the middle of the shop.

The memories were quickly drown away though as Ruby eyes stared into Blue ones. Questions were written all over Fate's eyes, and she knew Nanoha could practically see every one of them.

Surprisingly, it was neither Fate nor Nanoha who spoke up. Nor was it Shamal. Instead, a fourth, huskier voice asked. "What's with all the doom in gloom in here? You all act as if someone died."

And with that, Nanoha knew not only would she have to tell Fate and Shamal what had happened, but Signum as well. Because as soon as Signum had walked in and spoken, Shamal was quick to lead the woman away and begin to explain the situation.

"Nanoha, breathe. Calm down." Fate said quietly, as her friend had begun gasping for breath again. "You know we only want to help, right?" She added softer, worry and sadness filling her eyes. She wanted Nanoha to open up to her. The girl had always been so cheery and friendly, never had Fate guessed that something like this might have lurked in her past. And never had Nanoha hinted at it, except for the rare visits to the doctors. But every doctor they'd seen so far had been female, maybe that had something to do with it.

Regardless, Fate knew one thing. Nothing was going to keep her from Fate helping Nanoha, she would find a way to get Nanoha to forget the past. She hated the fact that she could never tell the one she loved that she truly loved her. But she hated even more that the one she loved suffered silently on her own.

Nanoha glanced up, her breathing slowly returning to normal. She saw the determination in her friends eyes. She knew her friend would stop at nothing to figure out what had happened. But Nanoha couldn't let Fate find out. She couldn't let any of her friends know, for that case. She knew once they did, they'd never treat her the same. It had been bad enough when she'd had that bad accident and had nearly lost her legs. She knew that if they found out about this, they'd become even more worried and protective over her. And the last thing she wanted was for them to worry more about her. Especially not Fate. She loved Fate too much to burden her with these things. All she wanted was for her Fate to become happy. She didn't want to burden Fate with such sad stories, especially since if she told Fate this secret, her last and final secret would come spilling out as well. And there was no way she could tell Fate that she was in love with her, that would just ruin their friendship and make Fate feel that it was her fault. No, Nanoha knew that she would once again have to bottle up the memories and pains from that fateful day. She couldn't let anyone know what happened.

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Oh Shi-itake Mushroom. I say that all the time, not sure why. It's kind of fun, actually. Shiitake Mushroom. It's kinda like Balmsamic Vinegar, for all you Lucky Star fans out there.

But anyways, I know things seemed revealed like that kind of sudden, but that's not completely what happened in the first place, so don't just give up on the story. Anyways, I figure since Shamal and Fate are both intellegent woman, they would figure out what was bothering Nanoha pretty quickly. And I know Shamal, being Nanoha's doctor, would have seen the scar. . . Whoops, said to much. It's a good things most of you don't read this then!

2takuya out, don't forget to review!


	4. Chapter 4

**Alright, I'll apologize now, for the chapter! But it was honestly necessary, to help with the plot and everything. Shamal and Signum are a big help in everything, and Hayate is helping the two of them as well. But Signum and Shamal play a big role in what's to come later.**

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I'm not sure how, but Shamal managed to convince me to leave Nanoha's side for a while. Now I was sitting on the office, struggling to catch Nanoha up on her reports. Honestly, I don't know what makes her think it's such a good idea to wait until the last possible minute to submit some of these. Although, Nanoha never did appreciate desk work. I mean, it's not like the rest of us like it, we just realize that waiting last minute is like suicide. So, due to the fact that Nanoha is passed out in the Medical Ward with a high fever, I'm completing her work for the day so she doesn't have to worry.

**Unsweetened Dreams IV**

**By:**

**2takuya**

Fate had just somehow just finished Nanoha's mountain of paperwork. How she managed to complete it in the few hours she was allotted would be a mystery to everyone. Heck, Fate was fairly certain that if there weren't a certain brunette lying in a hospital bed with a high fever, she wouldn't have gotten even halfway through that stack of papers. But of course, she couldn't let that brunette know. If Nanoha ever found out about that, their relationship would never be the same. How would you react if your best friend, who also happened to be a girl, informed you that she was in love with you, and had been since you first met.

There was no way Fate could risk there amazing friendship; Nanoha was the reason that she was alive today. If Nanoha became afraid of her, she'd lose all contact she had with her humanity. As a result, Fate was never going to tell Nanoha.

"-ossa! Testarossa!" A voice called out, surprising the blonde. She hadn't realized how deep in thought she had been. Glancing up, she discovered that, as she had assumed, Signum was swiftly walking over to her. No one else insisted on calling her by that name. Though she couldn't figure out for the life of her why Signum called her that, she decided not to question it.

"Signum, is there something I can help you with?" Fate asked pleasantly, hoping that Signum wouldn't ask to spar. Normally Fate would have nothing against sparring with the woman, but at the moment she was in a hurry to see Nanoha.

Signum gave a small smile to Fate, almost as if she could read the younger girls mind. "Don't worry, I'm not here for a spar." She said, making Fate wonder if the woman really could read minds. "You're on your way to see Nanoha, right?"

Of course she was, but how had Signum been able to read that so easily? She wasn't slipping up, was she? What if Nanoha had already found out about her feelings? Maybe that was why she had seemed so distant lately, especially last week.

"Relax, Testarossa, she doesn't know anything. The rest of us, however, it's just that obvious." Signum said, a sly grin on her face.

Fate felt her cheeks flare up, though her thoughts quickly followed the same track as before. Maybe Signum really could read minds. _Crap, does that mean that she's seen all my thoughts about what I'd do to Nanoha if she accepted my love?_

"Um, no, nothing of that sort. And I'm not really sure if I even want to know. But Testarossa, you're speaking your thoughts out loud." Signum said again, gaining Fate's attention.

And that's when Fate realized that she was, in fact, speaking her thoughts out loud. And that only caused her blush to intensify even more.

"It's fine, you didn't really say anything that I didn't already know or assumed on my own." Signum said, her grin sly again. This woman would be the death of Fate, with all the blood rushing to her head the way it was. "Everyone already knows all about you and Nanoha, so there's nothing to worry about on that front."

What did that mean? Was there something between her and Nanoha? Sure, every once and awhile, they'd joke with each other. Well, Nanoha would joke, Fate was being more serious, though she pretended it was all a joke. But that was all that really went on between the two, nothing that was any more serious than that, no matter how much Fate wished for it.

"Don't go thinking that there's nothing going on. We've all seen it, the way the two of you seem to dance around each other. It's like neither one of you realize that the other really does like you in that way," Signum mumbled, shaking her head in annoyance.

Fate was confused, since when were Nanoha and her dancing around each other? Fate gave hints all the time about it, though they usually just slipped out. But Nanoha was always just joking; she knew that the brunette was as straight as was possible.

"Seriously? Are you that oblivious? I mean, I knew Nanoha was clueless, I didn't realize you were too, Testarossa." Signum said, sounding disapproving. Fate had spoken her thoughts aloud again, though she didn't realize it at first. "Geez, no wonder Nanoha comes over to visit Hayate so depressed sometimes. I thought you had it rough, but I think Nanoha might just have it the hardest."

Ok, Fate really had no idea what Signum was on about now. None of this was making any sense. When had Nanoha gone to visit Hayate? She didn't remember any times Nanoha had left early or came home late. Well, except last week, but Nanoha was just avoiding Fate in general then, though she didn't know why.

"Signum, I'm not sure what point it is you're trying to make, but I'd really like to go and visit Nanoha right now, if you don't mind." Fate said, stepping around the older woman.

She was about to walk away, finished with the conversation, when Signum grabbed her arm, stopping Fate from walking away.

"Fate, I know you're in love with her." Signum spoke, her voice definite, as if there were no place for Fate to argue. Not that Fate would, it was the truth. "We all know you're in love with her, it's obvious. And quite honestly, if you are in love with her, I think she's going to need you now more than ever. I don't know what happened to her, but I can just feel something's wrong. Something that only you're going to be able to help her get past."

And with those words, Signum released her hold on Fate's arm and briskly walked away. What was that all about? What would Fate be able to do to help Nanoha? Sure, she'd be by Nanoha's side, but she'd always be by Nanoha's side. After all, even if Nanoha didn't love her romantically, Fate knew that as long as she didn't say anything, they could always remain friends. And for Fate, that was enough, as long as Nanoha was happy.

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**Thanks for reading, and I hope you liked it! Please be sure to review, I'm always looking for ways to improve my writing. Sorry this chapter took so long to post, school just started up recently, and I had been working on summer homework between this chapter and the last.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hoping that you guys like this chapter. I thought I'd add a bit more at the end, so it was a bit longer than I thought'd be. Also thought I'd have Signum and Fate join them, since Signum and Fate's conversation started before theirs, and wasn't all too long. But anyways, hoping that it's alright, and that everyone enjoys. Or something like that. Oh yeah, apparently my personality type is ENFP, for those that have taken the Myers-Briggs Personality Test.**

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Sometimes I wonder, would things be different if I had told anyone so long ago on that fateful day? Maybe I never would have met Yuuno. Then I never would have been a magical girl, and I never would have met Fate. But maybe that would have been better. Then I wouldn't have these nightmares all the time, reliving what happened over and over again. I wouldn't have fallen in love, and wouldn't have to deal with the pain of knowing that your love will never be returned. Yeah, looking back on it, things would've been better if I had told the cops back then. But then again, the cops may not have believed me. My parents didn't, when I told them that the doctor was a bad man. They just said that the doctor helped people, so he was good. But that doctor only helped himself. So maybe even if I had said something, nothing would be different. But at least I wouldn't be filled with the guilt of not saying anything. After all, I've already got enough pressure with the secret of my love. With both of these pressing down on me, it's no wonder I'm stuck in bed with a fever.

**Unsweetened Dreams V**

**By:**

**2takuya**

Nanoha was lying idly in a bed. Shamal was sitting in a chair, a few feet away. It was obvious that Nanoha wasn't trusted to lie in the bed quietly without trying to go anywhere on her own. Then again, given the chance, she probably would try, to go somewhere that is.

So there was really only one option the instructor had at the moment, with her friend reading patient records or something boring. The only thing Nanoha could do was think; since sleeping was out of the question. Every time her eyes closed, that dream came back to her. And yet, with her eyes open, the only thing she could think about was things she should have done differently, and play out scenarios of how things could have been different.

Shamal, on the other hand, wasn't really reading patient files. Well, she had been, and they had been Nanoha's, but now she was watching her friend. Nanoha was lying quietly in the bed, which was different than what normally happened. Normally Nanoha would keep pestering until she convinced Shamal to let her leave and get some work done. The girl always insisted that nothing was wrong, that she should be productive and get something done.

Nanoha lying in bed, being cooperative, was definitely something new, and that's how Shamal knew something was up. That and the things that Nanoha had been saying since she had gotten there. But Nanoha only seemed to say strange things when Fate was around. Then again, that was most definitely because Nanoha could tell anything to Fate. It was quite obvious how much Nanoha liked Fate, but for some reason she had decided not to say anything about it. It was funny at first, because Nanoha would get very flustered whenever she was around Fate, but it was kind of getting old. Especially now that it was obvious that Fate liked Nanoha as well, but neither of them realized that the other one liked them.

Things like that, they get old fast. How come it was always so obvious to everyone else but the people involved? Well, that was why Signum was off talking to Fate at the moment. Shamal's job was to get Nanoha to admit it.

"Nanoha, are you feeling better?" Shamal's voice spoke, breaking Nanoha out of her thoughts.

Nanoha gazed at Shamal for a few moments; she seemed a bit lost, as though she was trying to figure something out. "Mm, I'm fine," she mumbled quietly, slowly focusing in on Shamal.

"Are you sure? You don't feel too warm, do you?" Shamal was just stalling, hoping to get Nanoha's attention just a bit more before she brought up the topic she really wanted to talk about.

"No, I'm fine," Nanoha responded, a small smile on her face. She didn't want Shamal to worry about her. Heck, she didn't want anyone to worry about her. Hm, maybe that's why she didn't say anything all that time ago. It'd make sense; she's always been that way.

"Really? You're not lonely without Fate, are you? Do you want me to call her and have her stop by for a while?" Shamal asked, a pleasant smile on her face. She asked the question like a doctor would ask for symptoms. She was very cunning, and definitely not someone you'd want to cross.

"Mm," Nanoha mumbled quietly, a positive answer to Shamal's questions. Yeah, she really wanted Fate right now. She was just so confused, and she couldn't sleep, not without having those dreams. She just wanted Fate to come and get rid of all those thoughts. "I miss her."

Shamal was quiet for a moment, quite shocked that Nanoha had been so honest. Normally the girl would turn ten shades of red and sputter out some answer, trying to deny her feelings. Well, the girl _was_ red, just not in the same way. Her fever was probably helping her to be a bit more honest.

"You just saw her this morning though, Nanoha. You miss her already?" Shamal asked, letting her surprise coat her words. She was hoping to get more information from Nanoha, whether it is on the girl's feelings for Fate, or maybe the reason behind the girl's unusual behavior.

This time, Nanoha did blush, as she realized how she had answered Shamal's question, and that Shamal was right. Fate did only leave that morning; it had only been a few hours. And yet, Nanoha was so tired. There really wasn't much of a reason for her to be tired, she'd been lying in bed for the entire time, and she had slept for most of the night. And no matter how tired she was, she couldn't go to sleep.

She had been asleep, for a while this morning. But after Fate had left, she had woken up again, woken by that horrid dream. But Fate didn't know, and Nanoha didn't want her knowing. She didn't want to keep Fate busy with her, she didn't want to be spoiled like that, it wouldn't be fair to Fate.

"That's not what I meant," Nanoha mumbled quietly, finally responding to Shamal's question. She seemed to be responding at a slower rate than normal, like it was taking a while for either her to think of an answer, or to realize what had been said.

"So then you don't miss Fate?" Shamal asked, a sly grin on her face now. "So if Fate were on her way over, you wouldn't care?" She knew that Signum and Fate were down the hall, they were close enough that they could hear the conversation. Shamal always knew when Signum was around, just like Nanoha could sense when Fate was around. But the fever seemed to make it harder for Nanoha to feel Fate.

Fate, for her part, had frozen in surprise at Shamal's words. Nanoha didn't want her there? Maybe she had made her friend feel uncomfortable before. It wouldn't be a surprise; she had been hugging her more than she needed to, and whispering things that only a lover would say. But she had thought it was alright, Nanoha had seemed to calm down. Maybe it had just been the fever, and now that Nanoha was feeling a little more awake she realized what had happened.

"No!" Nanoha shouted in surprise, or at least attempted to. Her voice cracked, and it sounded weaker than normal. But to all listening, they knew it was a shout all the same. "That's- that's not what I meant. I- Of course I want to see Fate," she mumbled quietly, struggling to explain herself, only further embarrassing herself in the process. "But Fate's busy, and it wouldn't be fair." The last part seemed more like an added thought.

Signum played her part well, a hand on Fate's shoulder to stop her. Nanoha didn't need to know that they were there yet; the conversation hadn't come to an end just yet. Fate, though not to happy, had decided to follow Signum's silent request. They would stay silent and listen to the end of the conversation.

"What wouldn't be fair? That Fate would have to stay here while you're sick?" Shamal asked, leading her young friend on. Just a few more pushes, and she'd have the answer she wanted.

Nanoha nodded her conformation, a small frown on her face. She was staring up at the ceiling, trying to piece her thoughts together. "Mm, she'd just get bored." Nanoha said quietly, twiddling her thumbs at this point. "And I'm scared."

There, now she'd gotten her. That was what Shamal had been waiting for, something to catch on to, to start a conversation to find answers. Of course, she couldn't do this on her own. That was why Signum walked in the door with Fate on her heels.

Nanoha hadn't seen it coming, and the look of surprise on her face made it obvious. But that surprise quickly turned into a small smile. She was thrilled Fate had come to visit her, and it was obvious to both Signum and Shamal. Heck, even Fate could tell Nanoha was happy to see her, she just didn't realize there was a deeper meaning behind it. Ignorance isn't always bliss.

Fate played her role well; she walked to Nanoha's bed side and grabbed her hand, holding in her own as she took a seat. Signum walked closer to Shamal, taking a seat on the desk next to her lover.

"What are you afraid of?" Signum asked, not even bothering to beat around the bush. But that's why she was there, her straightforwardness tended to bring out answers from both Fate and Nanoha.

Nanoha stiffened in response, sending a fleeting glance to Fate that went unnoticed. To everyone but Signum, that is. She just felt no need in saying anything about it; it would only pull attention away from the question she had asked.

The next look that passed Nanoha's face was easily readable. They all recognized it in an instant. Nanoha was going to try and pretend that nothing was the matter. Of course, none of them planned on letting her.

Surprisingly, it was Fate who got rid of Nanoha's stubbornness. Fate swiftly rose from her chair and instead moved herself to Nanoha's bed, surprising everyone in the room. She then lifted Nanoha's head so that she could lean back on the pillow, and had Nanoha's head lying on her chest instead. Fate knew that Nanoha would protest instantly, and before even a word could be uttered she began stroking her friend's hair. Fate knew how to get rid of Nanoha's stubbornness, and that only added to make her a more formidable person.

Signum and Shamal watched silently, both surprised by Fate's actions. What surprised the two even more was that Nanoha was about to protest, which would have been understandable, when Fate began stroking her hair. And instantly Nanoha's eyes slid shut, and a look of pure bliss crossed the instructor's face.

And so Signum asked again, what Nanoha was afraid of. And this time, Nanoha was more willing to answer. Though her words were slurred, the speaker on the verge of sleep. And as Nanoha drifted to a restful sleep, the others managed to piece together what the girl had said.

"That Fate will leave, because I need too much attention. That I'll be too weak, and won't be strong enough to stay with Fate. That Doctor Taichi will come back, and he won't be stopped this time."

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**So anyways, that's the chapter for you all! But you all know who Doctor Taichi is, if not, then well . . . got nothing to say to that. Anyways, Doctor Taichi was a character I just came up with, a few moments ago as I added that bit in. So much more that gets revealed later on. Wondering how much I can surprise you guys with my story.**

**Anyways, please be sure to review, even if it's just like one word. I still like getting reviews, makes me very happy. Don't be afraid to leave advice, I'm always looking to improve!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hoping that you guys like this chapter as well! It's a bit longer, as I really didn't want to stop. But I think where I stopped was appropriate, and I managed a little bit more information.**

**Thanks for the wonderful reviews from everyone!**

**tuxjim, with the most descriptive review.**

**CleideJam, it will be revealed soon enough, what Fate will do. And they'll also realize it, though maybe not in the way everyone's expecting.**

**Honulicious, it's a step forward, and things are beginning to move into play.**

**GameMaster20, thank you for the word.**

**Guest, hoping you get to see this update, since it seems you don't have an account.**

**williams1, glad to hear you like my writing style, hoping this chapter keeps you wanting to read as well.**

**priest1drago, try not to kill my charries, even though I kind of want to as well. How bout we compromise and let Fate kill him? And yeah, Signum is sharp in this story. But it just makes it kind of funny, because she can use that to pick on Fate. Or taunt her with it in spars. Or both. Yup, there's definitely a scar there. Some is revealed in this chapter, just not to the other characters yet, that'd be too easy.**

**ZonaRose, yeah, Fate really didn't get it. But the thickness is kind of necessary. Plus I find it kind of funny. And btw, it's hard to write a decent chapter at one in the morning, because your at that state where you just might pass out, and so it's kind of like being high.**

**Imonz, yeah, not too many people read Authors Notes, it seems. But it's all good!**

**Ragnarok, yeah, but there's always a way to get them to talk.**

**Anyways, some of you reviewed to more than one chapter, and I commented on what seemed more relevant to respond to. Hoping you guys like this chapter!**

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Needless to say, I was surprised. I hadn't expected Nanoha to answer Signum so honestly, even if I was calming her down. I knew that she'd calm down, with her head resting on my chest and me stroking her hair. I just hadn't expected her to be so honest in her answer, or for her to fall asleep so quickly. At first I panicked, afraid of who knows what. I was probably afraid that her fever had grown and that she was dying or something. That's why I was filled with relief when I felt her forehead; her fever was lower than it had been that morning. She was slowly getting better, though why she fell asleep was a mystery to me. Now that I'd confirmed that she was indeed just sleeping, my thoughts slipped to other matters. Nanoha was afraid I'd leave her? What on earth made her think that? Honestly, I wish she'd rely on me more than she does now, but she thinks that if she does then I'll leave her? She doesn't seem to realize she's anything _but _weak. Nanoha doesn't seem to realize that she's the reason I'm still here today. She's like a pillar of support, not just for me, but for everyone else, too.

**Unsweetened Dreams VI**

**By:**

**2takuya**

"Well, I got you a name," Signum muttered, a small frown decorating her face.

Fate looked up in surprise, Signum was upset, but she hardly ever let her emotions be seen by others.

"Yeah, you did great, Signum." Shamal responded, a sad smile on her face.

_Just what on earth is going on here? _Fate thought, glancing between the two women.

"So? You believe me yet, Testarossa?" Signum asked, a smile slowly spreading across her face as she focused her attention on the blonde enforcer.

"Signum, don't be mean," Shamal said, a small smile on her face as well. She knew perfectly well what Signum was referring to; they had planned out their conversations ahead of times. After all, it was tricky to push these two girls in the right direction; if you even tried they would pick up on it in an instant.

Fate was blushing at this point. She could tell by the look on Shamal's face that she had some sort of idea as to what Signum was talking about. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," she mumbled quietly, her gaze drifting to Nanoha's sleeping face as she attempted to avoid the conversation.

"Oh please, don't act like you're clueless. It's obvious there's something there, if she relaxes so easily with you." Signum said, her smile becoming sly again. She knew just what buttons to push, and was being flawless about it.

In response, Fate only managed to flush another two shades of red. There's no way what Signum said was right, was there? Nanoha was just the kind of person that relaxed easily around other people. It wouldn't have mattered too much to the brunette if someone else had been here to comfort her, after all.

"Ah, that assumption's wrong, Fate." Shamal spoke, a face of perfect seriousness.

What assumption? The only assumption she'd had she had thought, so Fate had no clue what Shamal was talking about. Unless- was it possible _Shamal_ could read minds?

"No, you're speaking your thoughts aloud again, Testarossa. That's a bad habit you got there," Signum responded, obviously struggling not to bust out laughing.

Flushing three more shades of red, Fate turned her gaze out the window; anywhere she could to avoid the eyes of Signum and Shamal. "What do you mean?" She spoke quietly, her question directed towards Shamal. What had Shamal meant, that her assumption had been wrong?

"Well, I mean Nanoha wouldn't have relaxed with just anyone." Shamal responded, knowing full well Fate had been asking her. "After all, she's been on edge all day, since you left this morning. I think she had a nightmare or something, she hasn't slept since."

And Fate understood, that this nightmare had been the reason that Nanoha was so tired now. Nanoha must have been awake all day, and that must have been something extremely difficult, especially with her being sick.

"So who do you think that is, anyways, Doctor Taichi?" Signum asked, finally returning the conversation back to its main topic.

That's right; they had no idea who this Doctor was. But somehow, Fate knew. Whoever he was, he was most definitely the man that's been haunting Nanoha's dreams.

And Shamal seemed to agree, "Maybe, the 'bad doctor'?"

Fate nodded, her eyes drawn back to Nanoha's peaceful face. The brunette had been sleeping peacefully throughout the entire conversation. Somehow, the bad dreams had been warded off.

Signum let out a quiet sigh, drawing Fate's attention back to the conversation at hand. "So, this 'bad doctor' that we know nothing about is named Doctor Taichi. It's a start at least; maybe we could look him up. It's not hard to get access to Earth's records from here."

"Even if we do look him up, how do we know that there will be anything about him?" Fate asked, drawing Signum and Shamal's attention to her. "I mean, we'll find out he's a doctor, but what else? Whatever happened, Nanoha knows, so Nanoha would have to be the one to tell us what happened."

Silence filled the room after that for a few moments. Both Signum and Shamal realized that Fate was right. After all, what if nothing was reported to have happened? Then they would have looked the doctor up for nothing. And if something had been reported? They would be breaking Nanoha's trust, by looking into something about her without asking her about it first. None of them wanted to risk their friendship with the brunette, they would much rather have Nanoha tell them the truth about what happened.

The depressing air in the room did get broken, just not the way anyone was expecting it to. The silence had continued on for a few minutes, no one knowing what to say or do next.

Signum had been staring at the floor, occasionally glancing up at Shamal.

Shamal had been watching Fate, letting the words sink in and thoughts to tumble around in her head.

Fate had been watching Nanoha, though the stare was vacant, as she really wasn't focused and instead was absorbed in her thoughts.

Nanoha had been sleeping peacefully with her head on Fate's chest, and Fate _had_ been stroking the brunette's hair.

But with Fate's thoughts occupied, her hand had slowly stopped, and instead was lying atop Nanoha's head.

Nanoha, despite being asleep, wasn't very happy with Fate's attention somewhere else, it seemed. And as a result she had begun squirming around, gaining the attention of all three women.

Somehow, she had managed to get the blankets tangled up around her legs, which all three women found quite humorous. They could all imagine what would happen when she woke up and attempted to get out of bed.

After the blankets had succeeded in trapping its prey, Nanoha could no longer move her legs. As a result, she began shifting the rest of her body, trying to get comfortable.

Soon Nanoha's head was nuzzling against Fate's left breast, her left hand resting on Fate's right breast. Her tangled up legs had managed to worm there way over to Fate as well, pressing against her legs.

Of course, Signum and Shamal found this scene to be hysterical, and were doing their best not to bust out laughing.

Fate, on the other hand, was struggling not to turn into a cherry, with how red her face was becoming. And with every time Nanoha shifted, or her nuzzling continued, she struggled not to make any noises, despite the tingling that occupied her breasts.

"And you doubted me. Geez Testarossa, you should really listen to me more often." Signum said, hardly able to hide the humor in her voice.

In response, Fate shot a glare at Signum. The glare had no effect however, as her face was ten shades of red, and the glare was hardly even a glare. "You don't know wha- aah." Fate had begun speaking, struggling to keep her voice normal, when Nanoha had decided to squeeze Fate's right breast, resulting in the enforcer to end her sentence early.

Shamal seemed to have had enough, and was laughing so hard she was gripping her stomach. Signum had managed not to laugh, though she was only a few steps away.

Fate, on the other hand, was breathing heavily, trying to ignore the pleasure she was feeling. Nanoha was sleeping, after all. On top of that, she was sick, so there's no way she knew what she was doing. Although Fate really didn't want to believe that, she knew it had to be true.

"Testarossa, are you doing alright over there? You look like you might pass out any second." Signum said, her voice cracking from the strain of not laughing.

"I'll be fine," Fate muttered, biting her bottom lip as she struggled against her over powering desires. At this point she just wanted to take Nanoha, right then and there.

Apparently this desire was written across her face, because Signum had busted out laughing at this point as well. Neither Shamal nor Signum showed signs of letting up their laughing fit any time soon, and Fate saw this as a bad thing. No one was going to stop Nanoha, who was now snuggling closer to Fate's breasts.

_How on earth did we get from a serious conversation about Nanoha to something like this? _Fate thought to herself, trying to distract the rest of her mind.

Luckily for her, Shamal and Signum's laughing had been loud enough to wake the brunette up.

Blue eyes fluttered open slowly, her mind registering something soft and comfortable beneath her. Nanoha's instincts kicked in around then, and she snuggled closer. A strangled moan broke her out of her thoughts, confusing her. Nanoha could tell the moan had come from whatever was beneath her.

Fate felt Nanoha shifting again; and soon saw blue eyes gazing up at her. Nanoha was awake now, at least. Though she hadn't moved from the position she was in.

Signum and Shamal seemed to have realized that Nanoha had woken up as well; their laughing was slowly dying down as a result. They seemed humored in the fact that Nanoha still hadn't moved.

"Nanoha, is she comfy?" Shamal asked, her voice light, sounding almost like a mother asking if their child was alright after falling.

To Nanoha's credit, she _had_ just woken up, and still didn't seem to realize exactly what was going on. She could have probably been on the moon and wouldn't have noticed it at this point.

"Mm, Fate-chan is always comfy," Nanoha mumbled quietly, snuggling up against Fate's breast again.

Signum was struggling to breath, as another fit of laughter overtook her. Shamal had managed to stay a bit more serious this time though.

Fate let out a strangled gasp in response though; she was struggling against the feelings of pleasure. She wasn't used to those sorts of feelings; it was like electricity was coursing through her body.

Shamal smiled in response, rolling her chair to Nanoha's bedside. "Are you feeling better now that Fate's here?"

Nanoha nodded in response, a pleasant smile on her face. "Mm, I missed Fate-chan."

Fate blushed in response, and was glad that Nanoha wasn't watching her. There's no way she would have been able to hide that blush, it only created layer number eleven of her shades of red.

Shamal spoke up again, keeping her voice as light as possible. "Nanoha, who is Doctor Taichi?"

And just like that, with a smile and a light voice, Shamal had dropped a bomb.

Fate felt Nanoha tense up on top of her; she obviously hadn't been expecting the words that came from Shamal.

Well, neither was Fate or Signum, and both of them had heard Nanoha speak the words as well.

What surprised Fate more though was that soon Nanoha began to shake lightly. It wouldn't have been noticeable, had Nanoha not been lying on top of her.

Signum and Shamal shared a glance; they obviously took the silence as Nanoha not willing to answer their questions. Fate however, had begun stroking Nanoha's hair again, willing her friend to calm down.

"It's alright Nanoha, I won't leave you," Fate whispered quietly, remembering the other fears that Nanoha had spoken. "No matter what, I'll be by your side. So tell us, please? Who is Doctor Taichi?"

And somehow, that was all Nanoha needed to hear, for the dam to break that had been holding her tears. She struggled to hide them, of course, and buried her face deeper into Fate's breasts. That only succeeded in the front of Fate's shirt to be soaked as the tears flowed down Nanoha's face.

Nanoha had been waiting forever to hear those words. When she'd tried telling her parents about the doctor, they had ignored it. They said that the doctor was a good man, because he helped people. And then Nanoha got sick, and had been sent to the hospital. And she hadn't told anyone what had happened, because she knew they wouldn't believe her, because doctors were supposed to be good. But Nanoha knew better, doctors weren't really good. And then a month later she had collapsed in the restaurant. And she'd been taken to the doctor, covered in blood. No one understood what had happened, until Nanoha told the police officers what had happened. She had told them that he had stabbed her. And then he was sent to jail, and things were left alone after that.

But never had those words been spoken, never had anyone been there to say that to her. That man had taken away something important to her, with just a few words. _'"And the best part of it is. If you tell anyone what happened, they'll leave you. You're dirty now. No one wants to stay with someone who's dirty. No one will ever want to stay by your side again."'_

And somehow, once again, just a few words had affected Nanoha more than ever. Something important had been given back to her. Just a few words and Nanoha began to hope. She began to hope that maybe that doctor had been wrong. Maybe there was someone who would stay by her side.

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**PLEASE review! I wanna hear your thoughts on the chapter, anything to improve on, or any ideas you might want thrown in there. It's better to review ideas sooner, because then I have a chance of putting your ideas in the story!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Let's see what questions can be answered in this chapter. Ah, I must love you guys so much or something, to be working on this story so seriously this weekend. Normally I try for one update a weekend, otherwise I don't get very many views. But I can't help it, I want you guys to know what happens. So anyways, you'll hate me at the end. But it's okay, it'll be worth it. Oh yeah, changed the story description. Wonder if it sounds any better?**

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I knew it was only a matter of time before I spilled everything to them. I had known all along that eventually they would know what had happened all those years ago. And yet, I just kept pushing it back whenever I could. There had been plenty of opportunities, plenty of chances to spill. I just chickened out at the last second, or convinced myself that it wasn't the right time to say anything. But now, with Fate, Shamal, and Signum watching me expectantly, I knew I had to tell them. Fate said she'd never leave me, she said she'd be there for me. Somehow, that was all it took for me to be willing to tell her. I'd been waiting to hear those words; I just hadn't realized it before. Now the only question was would Fate still be willing to stay with me after she learned the truth? It's like they say, Ignorance is Bliss.

**Unsweetened Dreams VII**

**By:**

**2takuya**

It had taken a while, but Signum and Shamal had finally realized that Nanoha was crying. They didn't seem to notice, however, until the shaking in Nanoha's shoulders was obvious, and her hitching breath could be heard.

Fate had known that Nanoha was crying, and had been attempting to help the girl calm down by stroking her hair. The attempt was in vein though, and only succeeding in Nanoha struggling even harder against her tears.

Now Fate, Signum, and Shamal were all struggling to help Nanoha calm down. Although neither one were sure what they could do to help their friend.

Nanoha, for her part, wasn't even sad. In fact, her tears were more out of happiness than anything else. "Fate-chan," she whimpered quietly, sniffling and finally calming down a bit.

Signum and Shamal relaxed a little, Nanoha's tears seemed to be dying out, and she seemed a little calmer.

Fate smiled a little as blue eyes gazed up at her, the owners face tear streaked. "Yes Nanoha?" Fate asked quietly, her thumb brushing a stray tear off her friend's cheek.

But it seemed as though Nanoha had nothing of real importance to say, and instead returned her face to Fate's chest, seeking comfort against her friend and secret crush.

Fate seemed to realize this as well, and had no problems with Nanoha's decision. She continued stroking her friend's hair, wrapping her other arm around Nanoha as her friend slowly calmed down.

Signum seemed to think that enough time had passed, and spoke up, reminding Fate and Nanoha that both she and Shamal were still in the room.

"So, Nanoha, will you be willing to tell us?" Signum asked, succeeding in gaining the brunette's attention.

Nanoha once again stiffened, but was once again comforted by Fate. Slowly she found herself nodding. She had known this day was to come; she had only been pushing back the inevitable.

"I was six or seven at the time," Nanoha said quietly, her head still resting on Fate's chest, though now she had her head facing Signum and Shamal. And so the story began, almost as though it were a narration of a bit of Nanoha's life.

_It had been a day almost like any other. Nanoha had gotten up in the morning, eaten breakfast, gotten dressed, and then headed off to school. The difference in the day lies within gym class. For that day was track day. All the students needed to run a mile around the track._

_Normally, a mile was completed with no problem for Nanoha. But she hadn't been feeling well lately, and so she was worried that she might get sick._

_Those worried disappeared as she neared the end of her mile. She had managed to run the track without any problems, and was almost done and would get a rest. Only, as she turned the bend, a wave of dizziness crashed over her like never before. Her head was sent reeling as everything around her seemed to tilt a complete ninety degrees. And then everything went black._

_When her eyes fluttered open, her surrounding was different. The blue sky and the green grass were replaced by white. White walls and a white ceiling is what greeted Nanoha as she opened her eyes. A slow and steady beeping pounded into her ears, like a Taiko sounding on a hot summer festival day._

_A glance around the room revealed white shades surrounding a window on one wall, a sliding door on another wall. Nanoha was currently lying in a bed that was covered with white sheets. No matter how you looked at it, it was a hospital._

_The door sliding open drew Nanoha's attention to a few people walking into the room. Her mother and father, both seemingly frantic; relaxed when they saw that Nanoha was awake. Behind them walked in her pediatrician, Doctor Taichi._

_Nanoha never did like her pediatrician. He just seemed like such a strange man, and whenever her Mom or Dad had to leave the room to sign something, his hands always lingered in the weirdest of places. He seemed to like touching her chest a lot, though she couldn't figure out why. It was as flat as any other six or seven year old._

_She'd once told her parents about that, and that she didn't like him, but they just shook it off. "Nanoha, Doctor Taichi is a good man, he saves people's lives." Was what her mother had said before returning to cooking dinner._

_But Nanoha didn't believe that, after all, the touching only grew more every time she visited. The worst time was when he had licked her ear. _

"_Are you feeling any better?" Her mother asked, worry in her voice, drawing Nanoha's attention back to the present._

_Nanoha nodded slightly, a bashful grin on her face. "Sorry to make you worry, I just got a little dizzy while running is all."_

_Her mother and father breathed out a sigh of relief. Both of them had feared the worst when the school had called, saying that Nanoha had collapsed on the track._

"_You're sure? If you're not feeling well, your mother or I can stay with you." Her father said, worry filling his eyes._

_But Nanoha knew that wasn't a good idea. If they stayed then who would take care of Midori-ya?_

_So Nanoha put a smile on her face, easing her parent's worries. "No, I'm fine. You guys should get back to the shop."_

_Nanoha's parents seemed reluctant at first, but after a little more persuasion they were finally out the door, and Nanoha was left alone._

"_Well, I'm glad you managed to get rid of them." A voice spoke, reminding Nanoha that Doctor Taichi had still been in the room. And she had just managed to convince her parents to leave, so now she was alone with this scary doctor!_

Nanoha breathed in a shaky breath, squeezing her eyes shut tightly. "I- I just knew I was afraid of him, but I wasn't sure why," she said quietly, letting out a quiet sob. "A- And then he lifted me from the bed." Nanoha was finding it harder and harder to speak.

Signum, Shamal, and Fate were only hearing about it, she was reliving it while she spoke. All the scenes she had struggled to push from her mind were coming back to haunt her.

To their credit, Signum and Shamal were managing to stay quiet throughout Nanoha's story. Neither one interjected with comments or questions, nor did they make comments to Fate shifting Nanoha closer and pressing her lips in the brunette's hair.

Fate knew she needed to keep Nanoha calm. She had deducted that Nanoha had been raped, but she knew that retelling the story would be a challenge for her friend. Fate knew that she needed to provide a sort of anchor for Nanoha, just as Nanoha had done all those years ago for her, saving her from her own despair.

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**In case you couldn't figure it out, Fate's referring to Nanoha helping her during the Jewel Seed case. We all remember that, I hope. Anyways, please review! It makes my day to read your guys's reviews, and honestly, the only reason you got three updates this weekend was because people reviewed so much, and I got so many favorites and follows.**


	8. Chapter 8

**So normally, in the beginning, I have a first person point of view before I put the title. But this time, as you can see, I didn't. That's because it's a literal continuation of the last chapter. As in, it's straight from that to this. Therefore, I thought it best to just continue on with it. And in all honestly, these two chapter had been written as though they were one chapter, but I found it best to split them into two. So, without further ado, flashback part two! Oh yeah, there's a bit of surprise at the end of the chapter!**

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**Unsweetened Dreams VIII**

**By:**

**2takuya**

"'_Don't worry, I'm just going to run some tests,' _he had said, carrying me down the hall." Nanoha mumbled quietly, feeling Fate's lips against the top of her head. The reminder that Fate had promised to stay with her had helped, and she was breathing a little easier again. "'_They'll make you-_

_Feel much better," Doctor Taichi said, sly grin on his face._

_Before Nanoha could argue, Doctor Taichi carried her into another room, sliding the door closed and locking it._

"_I don't think we'll be bothered too much in here." He said, placing Nanoha down on one of the examination tables._

_Nanoha felt relieved when he placed her down. Good, now she could walk on her own, and could leave the room._

_Or she thought, anyways. At least until he climbed onto the table above her, pressing down on her._

_She felt hands slide her shirt up, slowly slipping it off. It was weird; this wasn't how a check-up was supposed to be. _

_Then she felt the hands slide back down, trailing down her chest like some of her later visits to see Doctor Taichi._

_But the hands continued down, until she felt her shorts sliding past her legs and to the floor. And soon she was naked, lying beneath her doctor._

"I knew some-something was wrong." Nanoha whispered quietly, her breath hitching in a sob. "But no matter how hard I tried, he wouldn't leave me alone."

She was shaking even more, and she knew she must look so weak. But she couldn't stop the tears that flowed from her eyes, nor could she stop the shaking that racked her entire body.

Signum, Shamal, and even Fate seemed speechless. Neither one seemed sure of what they should do, but it didn't seem to matter. Now that Nanoha had begun, it seemed like a dam had broken, and she was going to continue telling the story.

"A-and then it was l-like a blur," she whispered quietly, though they could all still hear her words. "T-there was so much pain, it was so hot."

_Her skin felt like it was on fire, she was covered in sweat__and there was a body pressed up against her, she could feel their bare skin__and her breath seemed hitched in her throat,__he wouldn't let her breath, his hand placed firmly over her mouth._

_A hand was stroking her hair, breaking through the turmoil of her mind._

"_You'll be just fine," A voice whispered, pleasure filling his voice. "I won't hurt you, I promise." It was Doctor Taichi, Nanoha remembered. And she remembered everything else, and what had just happened. "I won't hurt you, I promise. In fact, soon you won't even feel a thing." Deranged, he sounded completely deranged. "Doctor just needs to make sure Nanoha-san gets the right amount of care. You understand, right? It's to make you feel better."_

"And I struggled, I really did." Nanoha whispered, voice cracking. Somehow, she was managing to continue, though where she found the strength was unknown. "B-but, the more I struggled, the m-madder he got."

"_Knock it off!" He hissed in her ear, his hand slamming across her cheek. "You like it, I know you do." He continued, despite the whimpering leaving the child's mouth._

_Nanoha shook her head. She didn't like what he was doing, why did he think that? And yet, he wouldn't stop, no matter how much she wanted him to._

_His hand was firm against her mouth; he didn't want her to make any more noises._

_A strange feeling had welled up inside her more than once, and it felt like she had exploded. That feeling was returning, and for some reason she couldn't help but whimper. That feeling was strangely good, though it did make her squirm._

"_See? You're enjoying it," Doctor Taichi's voice whispered in her ear again as her senses exploded._

_She didn't like this, whatever this man was doing to her. She knew he wasn't supposed to touch her, her mom had told her that before. And yet she couldn't do anything to stop him._

"_You know what I like more than this?" He whispered quietly, his voice husky. "It's that you can't stop me. And the best part of it is. If you tell anyone what happened, they'll leave you. You're dirty now. No one wants to stay with someone who's dirty. No one will ever want to stay by your side again."_

_And Nanoha knew he was right, as he rose from above her. She hadn't listened to her mom, she had let this man touch her where she no one was allowed. _

_Doctor Taichi turned back around, a grin on his face. He knew that she understood. She knew that there was no way anyone would be able to learn about this now. And he'd make sure that she remembered. He'd leave a permanent scar with her, one that would make sure she would never forget._

Nanoha let out a sob, taking deep breathes. Fate had grown still beneath her, her hand frozen in Nanoha's hair. Signum and Shamal were both sitting beside the bed, shock shown all over their faces. "H-he pulled out a s-scalpel, and slid it across my skin. And h-he made an x shape, over my stomach."

And that's when Shamal understood. Everything had pieced itself together now. That was where the strange scar on Nanoha's stomach had come from, and why Nanoha never wanted to talk about it before.

And Fate realized why Nanoha never wanted to go to the onsen with the others. She didn't want to be questioned about that peculiar scar.

And Signum understood as well, why Nanoha had been so afraid of doctors all along. After something like that, you would be bound to have a fear of doctors. It was a wonder how Nanoha managed to be so friendly with Shamal.

And Nanoha hid her face in Fate's chest, not wanting to look at any of her friends. Doctor Taichi's words replayed in her mind over and over again, they would never want to be with her now.

"What happened to Doctor Taichi?" Fate asked quietly, a mask hiding the anger that was boiling just beneath her skin.

"A- A month later, I collapsed at Midori-ya." Nanoha mumbled quietly. "When they took me to the hospital, the doctor there found the scar. I hadn't l-let anyone know, and t-tried to treat the wound on my own. B-but the wound got infected."

Shamal drew in a sharp breath. If Nanoha had let the wound get too infected, she could have died. It was a wonder how the girl was still alive to this day.

They waiting, Nanoha hadn't answered the question, so they knew that there would be more to add.

"The p-police got called. They thought it was my parents that caused the wound. But I told the police, that Doctor Taichi had done it to me. I told them he had cut open my stomach." Nanoha whispered, her fist gripping Fate's shirt.

A moment of silence captured the room. That meant Doctor Taichi was sent to jail. For how long, would be determined by the answer of the next question.

"Did you tell them that he raped you?" Fate asked quietly, looking down at her secret love.

And Signum, Shamal, and Fate all hoped for a positive answer, that Nanoha had spilled the truth to the police. But of course, that's not the answer that they received.

"N-no," Nanoha whispered, her voice cracking on the word. "I- I couldn't tell them. I was s-so scared." By now she was crying into Fate's shirt again. She knew that would make them mad. The most obvious thing to do would be to tell someone, and yet the only reason she had finally managed to say something after all these years was because Fate had promised to stay by her side, no matter what.

Sadly, Fate could understand that. Even Signum and Shamal could understand how afraid Nanoha must have been.

That didn't stop the anger that coursed through Fate's veins though. After all, that meant this doctor was roaming free now, out of jail. And who knows what he was doing to unsuspecting little children.

But Fate soon realized how stiff she was, and how upset Nanoha seemed to be getting. Her friend had managed to curl into a small ball at Fate's side, burying her face in Fate's chest.

To Nanoha's surprise, she felt a comforting hand rubbing her back, though she couldn't tell whose it was. After all, the hand in her hair was Fate's, she'd recognize it anywhere. The one on her back, she didn't know whose hand it was.

Figuring it was Shamal, Nanoha glanced up to apologize to the doctor for probably making her fever even worse, and for crying so much. But to her surprise, the hand belonged to Signum. And any words Nanoha was about to say all latched in her throat and quickly died away.

Signum only laughed in response to the look of disbelief on the instructors face. She knew what Nanoha needed the most right now was comfort, not for them all to get angry at Doctor Taichi. After all, Nanoha would mistake it as anger towards her.

Fate and Shamal realized this as well, and Fate's hand continued stroking Nanoha's hair.

"Well, now that that's over and done, I think I should be getting back to my paperwork." Shamal said, standing from the chair beside Nanoha's bed. "Hayate informed me that I was getting a new assistant, she said he was from Earth."

Shamal's voice was strained as Hayate practically skipped through the door. Hayate skidded to a halt however, when she took in the somber mood and Nanoha crying into Fate's chest.

"Who died?" She asked, glancing at the members of the room curiously. But before anyone could answer she shrugged it off. "Well, it doesn't matter. Anyways, your assistant will be late arriving, Shamal. I thought I'd let you know."

Shamal nodded in understanding. Transport from Earth was very iffy, Earth being a low magical planet. "What's his name, anyways?" Shamal asked curiously. It wasn't very often someone was interested in being her assistant, and someone from Earth was even more rare.

Hayate grinned, knowing that Shamal was excited for this new assistant. But the news couldn't have been any worse, nearly suffocating all the occupants in the room as they were spoken. "I think he said his name was Doctor Taichi."

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**So, let's be honest. Who say that one coming? I'm hoping no one did, because that was a spontaneous decision, for the most part. Anyways, please review your thoughts and opinions! I was sitting in English today when I read your lovely reviews, and it brought a smile to my face! I was so glad to hear that everyone has been liking the story so far, and hopefully I can continue to meet your expectations. Anyways, review if you want Fate to beat up Doctor Taichi before he even works his first day.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok, so I had this chapter written up and everything, and it was completed and ready to be put to the website. But then I realized, I really didn't like it. After all, it was really confusing, and had all the characters talking at once. And Nanoha was hardly involved in it. Then I had a thought. Hayate had just announced Shamal's new assistant to be Doctor Taichi, so there would have to be some sort of reaction. And so I rewrote the chapter. And this was the result. I'm really hoping you like it, because this one turned out much better than the other one.**

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The world seemed to come to a complete standstill for everyone in the room. Even I was astounded by the news. For one thing, I had no idea Shamal was getting an assistant. But the news that bothered me the most was that Shamal's new assistant was named Doctor Taichi. Luckily, Taichi can be a common enough name, so it's probably just a coincidence. I just hope Nanoha realizes the same, sometimes I really worry about her.

**Unsweetened Dreams IX**

**By:**

**2takuya**

Fate glanced down into blue eyes, worried for their owner. Nanoha was still in a bad state, having just relived her worst childhood memory. Having the name of the person who caused you the name spoken with the implication of working with one of your friends, usually that doesn't have the best results.

And, as predicted, Nanoha wasn't taking the news very well. Signum and Shamal had both snapped their heads around to face Hayate, both astounded by the news they had received, but their heads snapped around again as they heard ragged breaths panting for air.

Fate had only seen it once before, and it had been in a movie. The sound of gasping breath, as though you were drowning and struggling to break free. She never knew how real it was, until Nanoha was choking on the air, reaching a shaky hand blindly up into the air, searching for someone to save her.

And of course, having never dealt with a panic attack before, Fate had no idea on how to save her friend. She followed her instincts and gripped Nanoha's flailing hand, hoping to somehow calm the girl down. It didn't work though, and it only increased Fate's anxiety.

"Fate, what's happening?" Shamal asked, instantly going into doctor mode and moving to the bedside.

Fate shook her head, tears pooling up in her eyes. Nanoha wouldn't calm down, and her gasps for breath were only becoming worse and worse. "I- I don't know, she-she sounds like she can't breathe." Fate stuttered, wrapping Nanoha into a tight hug, as though she could protect her from the panic attack.

Signum moved out of the way, taking her place by Hayate's side. She realized Hayate had no clue what was going on, and neither of them had any right to get in the middle of the situation at hand. She managed to steer Hayate over to an unoccupied bed, and had her master take a seat there as they waited.

"Fate, you have to calm down." Shamal said quietly, though just as urgent as she should. She knew the importance of staying calm in a situation like this, the more the other party panicked, the more panicked the person panicking felt.

Fate shook her head though. How could Shamal tell her to calm down at a time like this? Nanoha was gasping for breath, and all Shamal could do was tell Fate to calm down? Unhappy with Shamal's actions, Fate was taking matters into her own hands.

Despite not knowing what to do, Fate wanted to help Nanoha in any way she could. And so she tightened her arms around Nanoha, pulling the girl into a heartfelt embrace. All she knew how to do was to comfort Nanoha with her touch, after all, every time Nanoha had been upset before Fate only had to give her a hug.

This time, Fate's hug wasn't having much of an effect, if any at all. She could feel Nanoha struggling in her arms, and could hear Nanoha's agonizing breathing in her ear.

How was she supposed to help her? How did Nanoha always make things like this look easy? She's always there for her friends, and never seems to be stressed at all. But that was impossible; situations like this were the most stressful Fate had ever dealt with.

"Fate," Shamal said, finally gaining the blonde enforcers attention. "You need to comfort her. She needs to know you're not going anywhere."

That made sense. After all, Nanoha had said herself, she was afraid that Fate would leave her. Nanoha was afraid of being a burden to everyone else, which was strange because Nanoha was the glue that held them all together.

And so Fate found herself leaning in, her lips against Nanoha's ear as she embraced her secret crush. And she began whispering, all the things she thought she'd never admit to anyone. All the things she thought she'd never tell Nanoha, because she knew it would ruin their friendship.

And yet, in that moment, Fate didn't worry about that. She wasn't worried about how this might affect her future with her friend; she was worried about Nanoha making it through this panic attack.

And so Fate whispered everything, about how she'd never leave Nanoha because they were best friends. About how she admired Nanoha for being so strong after what had happened 11 years ago. About how she was afraid day after day that Nanoha would start drifting away, because Fate relied on her more than she should. About how Nanoha had saved her life what seemed like forever ago, and gave her something she'd never have imagined, and could never show her gratitude for. And most importantly, she whispered into her crush's ear, about how much she was in love with Nanoha. About how she'd been in love with Nanoha since that day long ago, when they had exchanged ribbons on the bridge. She told her how she hadn't fully realized her feelings until about a week or so ago.

Fate wasn't expecting anything in return; all she wanted was for Nanoha to calm down. She knew, somewhere in her mind, that this could ruin the best friendship she could have ever wished for. But she knew, at that moment, that it was the best thing she could have done for her friend.

And had she looked back, to see the other people in the room, she would have seen the stunned expressions on their faces. They had heard every hushed whisper, every confession Fate had made, and none of them had been expecting the blonde to be so bold.

And still no one had foreseen what happened next. No one could have seen Nanoha reaching up, a shaky hand cupping Fate's cheek.

Sure, her eyes had tears in them, and she was gasping painfully for breath. But she had heard every word Fate had whispered to her. And she wanted to make sure that Fate understood.

And so, with every last bit of strength she could muster, Nanoha managed to push herself up so that her lips brushed lightly against Fate's.

The kiss lasted only a few fleeting seconds, but those few seconds would be enough to change both of their lives forever.

And as the kiss broke off, Nanoha collapsed tiredly into Fate's lap, gasping at the air. And despite the panic attack that had just occurred, and that was slowly dying away but steeling away Nanoha's breath, a small smile was on her face.

Red eyes looked into blue ones, shock and confusion. Fate had no idea what had just happened. She still didn't know what had just happened. But Nanoha was calming down, and that was what was important. And she even had a small smile, which was even better in Fate's mind.

And the silence in the room was broken by a few softly spoken words, ones that were new, and yet Fate felt like she had heard them spoken to her forever.

"Fate-chan, I love you too." Nanoha whispered tiredly, her hand still cupping Fate's cheek.

The room remained silent, as though the room were letting the words sink into the heads of everyone there. And after a few moments, Fate pulled Nanoha into a tighter hug, her cheeks flaming red despite the happy tears that were in her eyes.

Nothing could break this amazing moment, as both girls had finally confessed their feelings to one another. Signum, Shamal, and Hayate were just pleased that they had been there to hear the confessions themselves.

Yet, this moment could not last forever. As the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. "Well, this is quite a cheery moment you have going on here, really hate to break it up for you, Nanoha." A voice spoke up, the owner leaning against the doorway. "Somehow, we managed to get here on time. Doctor Taichi, reporting in."

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**And don't worry. I'm not done here. I guess I must be sadistic or something, because Nanoha and Fate are just going to face more troubles galore. After all, Doctor's back, and who knows what he's got planned. And he remembers Nanoha, it looks like. So hope you enjoyed, and make sure to look for more to come.**

**And thanks for all the amazing reviews! Jeez, I posted a chapter, and then left for a while, and when I came back I had tons of reviews, which just made me happy! Ah, but I didn't do my math, which will be bad tomorrow. Instead I wrote this! **

**But please review here as well! Cause with more things to come, things are going to get tricky from here! And any input is always welcome, because it might help things run smoothly. **


	10. Chapter 10

**OKAY! So . . . I know it's been, what, forever since you've heard from me? Well, I don't really have any good reasons for not being on. I mean, I've been here, reading fanfics, but I just didn't have any inspiration for my next chapter. When, what do you know? It's 11 o'clock at night, forever since I've written, when WHAM! I get an idea that I just have to get down, because it's a turn in the story I hadn't thought of. Where I had been going with it was really really boring. But this direction, man, it made me sooooo mad! So, I had to run with it, because I knew it would make me happier when I finally resolved it. Thankfully, I think that means I've now left the land of Writer's Block. Maybe now I'll get visited by some more plot bunnies. Would be very grateful if you sent them my way please!**

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I was so happy. Well, okay, I had just had the scariest moment of my life, where I thought I was dying. But at some point I had heard Fate's voice speaking to me. And she kept talking, about all sorts of things, but she sounded so far away. I'm fairly certain she wasn't really sure what she was saying. But then I heard her, almost as though she was speaking into my ear, and she told me that she was in love with me. It took a moment to process; I think I must have gone into shock or something. But eventually it clicked, and I reached a shaky hand up, cupping Fate's cheek. I'm not sure what all I did, I was so exhausted, and it was so hard to breath. But I remember wanting to make Fate understand, that I felt the same way about her as she did about me. I was struggling to focus, everything around me seemed so blurry, but I could see her lips, right above me. And I wanted to press my lips against them; I wanted to show Fate that I felt the same way. I had struggled to sit up; my body didn't seem to want to cooperate with me. I'm not sure if I managed the kiss or not, but as I collapsed back down I mumbled out my thoughts, about how I loved Fate. But then my world came crashing down again as I heard his chilling voice. "Well, this is quite a cheery moment you have going on here, really hate to break it up for you, Nanoha. Somehow, we managed to get here on time. Doctor Taichi, reporting in."

**Unsweetened Dreams X**

**By:**

**2takuya**

It had been a week since Doctor Taichi had arrived. Hayate had held a welcoming party for the man, and had explained that while doing check-up's of Earth, making sure that someone like Nanoha or Hayate didn't show up again, they found the high level readings coming from Doctor Taichi. Naturally, worried that the man might cause trouble on Earth, he was invited to join the TSAB.

During the week that Doctor Taichi had grown accustomed to the place it became obvious to everyone that something strange was going on. The day Doctor Taichi had arrived Nanoha had swiftly left the clinic, despite her raging fever. In fact, she still hadn't been back to the clinic, and spent her time avoiding that area in general.

Hayate had been confused as to why, especially after Nanoha had collapsed at work from fatigue a few days after her fever had left but had refused to go to the clinic. It took a dinner with Shamal, Signum, Fate, and Nanoha for Hayate to finally learn the truth behind the situation, and even then it was like pulling teeth to learn anything.

Of course, just because Nanoha avoided the clinic avidly didn't mean that she still wouldn't see Doctor Taichi around. After all, people need to eat, and there is only one cafeteria for lunch on the grounds. Not to mention Taichi would make rounds and deliveries for Shamal. Whenever Nanoha saw the Doctor on one of his runs she would stop, frozen like a block of ice.

The only indication that Doctor Taichi knew who Nanoha was had been on the first day of his arrival, and that had been chalked up to being briefed on all the people who worked with the TSAB. Even after a week Taichi hadn't made any comments, and had pretty much done a fine job of ignoring Nanoha. It seemed as though he had no interests whatsoever with the woman.

Of course, things like that couldn't last very long. Especially when dealing with someone who is as stubborn as Nanoha. All it took was a simple injury on a mission for things to go south pretty quickly.

Nanoha had just returned from her latest mission, skipping by the office and heading straight home. Subaru and Nanoha had gone out on a simple recover mission, and Nanoha had taken a blast to her arm to protect Subaru. Her arm hurt a lot, so much she had a hard time moving it, but Nanoha was prepared to deal with the pain if it meant avoiding the clinic.

Although, that plan back fired when she opened the door and received an instant hug from Fate. Fate, not knowing of Nanoha's injury, jostled the woman's arm, causing her to cry out in pain. Fate panicked immediately and began checking Nanoha over, asking repeatedly what was wrong.

"It's nothing to worry about, my arm hurts is all." Nanoha said easily, brushing off her girlfriends concern.

Fate, however, didn't take Nanoha's answer to heart. She knew how much Nanoha hated the clinic, and knew that Nanoha would brush off an injury to avoid going there. So, with her own resolve, Fate placed a hand lightly on Nanoha's arm, and watched her lovers face screw up in pain.

"I wouldn't really call that nothing," Fate noted, her tone becoming bland from slight annoyance.

Nanoha let out a sigh, lightly moving Fate out of the doorway so she could enter the house. "Relax, Fate-chan, it really isn't anything that you need to worry about. It's just a small injury, is all."

Fate nodded, though she stopped Nanoha in the hallway. "If it's just a small injury, you wouldn't mind having Shamal take a quick look at it then. We'll just be in and out in a matter of seconds." She watched as Nanoha's eyes widen slightly at the suggestion, before shaking her head vehemently at the mere thought.

"I told you, it is fine Fate-chan. We don't need to worry Shamal with something like this." Nanoha said, though she sounded more desperate than before.

Fate let out a sigh, taking Nanoha's arm lightly with her hand. "Nanoha, you know we need to get your arm treated. Now, we can either do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Fate's threat was met with slight amusement, indicated by the quirk of Nanoha's eyebrow and the lilt of her lips. "Oh? And what might the hard way be?"

"This." Was Fate's simple answer, sweeping Nanoha off her feet and into her arms, swiftly caring her out the door and heading to the main building.

It took Nanoha a few moments for her brain to catch up to Fate's actions, and when it did she began to panic a little. "Fate, we really don't need to go." She said, struggling in her lover's arms.

Fate merely tightened her grip in reply, a small frown on her face. "I know you don't want to, but I want your arm to get looked at. I worry about you Nanoha, and don't want to see you hurting." That of course, also applied to the underlying situation that had been going on for a week now. However, having no idea how to help her new lover, Fate was forced to sit aside and watch as things slowly began to unfold.

In a matter of moments the doors to the main building opened before Fate as she carried Nanoha inside, heading straight for the clinic. When the two arrived, they were surprised to find that Shamal was not there.

Setting Nanoha lightly on one of the beds Fate glanced around, looking for any signs of someone being in the room. Seeing none, she let out a light sigh and stepped away from Nanoha's bed. "I'll be right back; I'm going to go find Shamal." Fate said, casting a worried eye on Nanoha.

Nanoha merely nodded in reply, and watched quietly as Fate left the room, turning down the hallway as the doors closed behind her.

As soon as Fate left and the doors closed Nanoha let out a weary sigh, sending her own furtive glance around the room. Silence filled the room for a good minute or so before Nanoha heard the door slide open again.

"Welcome back Fate-chan, did you find Shama-?" Nanoha asked, though her words lodged in her throat as she caught sight of Doctor Taichi entering the room instead of Fate.

Doctor Taichi looked up in surprise, not having expected to see someone in the clinic. "Oh, hello Nanoha. Sorry, I didn't know you would be in here. Ah, are you here alone?" He asked, glancing around the room as he spoke. After receiving no answer, but seeing no one else in the room the Doctor smiled a little to himself. "Good, I'm glad we're going to have the chance to spend some time together."

Nanoha pressed herself back against the headboard, her eyes wide in panic and fear, finding herself unable to run away as Doctor Taichi slid into the bed with her. Unbeknown to Nanoha, Doctor Taichi had slid the lock into place as soon as he had entered the room, having already known Nanoha was in there alone.

"It's been so long, hasn't it, Nanoha?" Doctor Taichi asked, pressing Nanoha further into the bed, his hand sliding up her shirt lightly. "I wonder, how did things turn out with your parents? You didn't tell them, did you? About me?" His breath was creeping past her ear, his lips pressed against her temple. "After all, if you did, they would hate you. Because you're soiled, and a very dirty person."

Nanoha whimpered in response, tears welling up in her eyes. It was like past and present collided. She was reliving the moments in the hospital, and yet she was also living current moments as she felt the Doctor's cold hand sliding her clothes off of her. "You just need to relax, Nanoha. I know you really like this." He whispered, breathing into her ear again.

And the next few moments were lost upon her. All she knew was that her senses exploded more than once, Doctor Taichi was whispering to her the entire time about how bad of a person she was, and how stupid she had been to ever think that Doctors could ever be anything different than when she was 6 or 7.

"I'm glad you haven't forgotten." Doctor Taichi said, snapping Nanoha back into reality. He had a grin on his face as he buttoned his shirt. "The fact that you're a dirty little girl. One that can never be loved."

Tears slid down Nanoha's cheek as she watched him leave the room, leaving her lying in the bed broken and scarred. "Dirty. I'm dirty. Can't be loved." She whimpered to herself, her chest heaving with silent sobs.

* * *

**Dear god Taichi just pisses me off! I just really want to smack his face . . . but he makes for an interesting character, that can help develop things along. So for now I'll keep him, because he still has value. **

**But regardless, let me know what you guys think! Geez, hopefully I don't take that long to update again. But I'm liking the turn my mind suddenly decided, a lot better than the direction that the other version of this chapter had been going.**

**Hopefully, next chapter, we'll see more dialogue. And maybe some more description . . . description is lacking in this chapter for more obvious reasons, especially at the end there. But anyways, thanks for reading, and sorry for the long break!**


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